


Laid Bare

by Little_Inkstone



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: A Monthly Rumbelling, A Monthly Rumbelling May 2017, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-01
Updated: 2017-06-01
Packaged: 2018-11-07 13:27:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11059932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Little_Inkstone/pseuds/Little_Inkstone
Summary: Agent Belle French’s employers believe that small town businessman Rumford Gold is more then he appears and is actually the notorious Spinning Wheel Thief; a menace that’s caused trouble for years.  Belle is inclined to agree with them; until she slips into the cover of Lacey Avonlea, a stripper working at his club the Golden Thread.  Her mission demands she get close enough to prove his guilt, but her heart tells her he’s innocent.





	Laid Bare

**Author's Note:**

> Written for May's A Monthly Rumbelling smut prompt: Strip Club.

Personally, if given a choice, Belle would not have chosen to go undercover as a stripper; but she hadn’t been given a choice, she’d been given an order. That’s how she found herself in a dimly lit room on stage, undulating her half naked body in front of far too many eyes for her liking. At least the business she was in wasn’t anything like the images that were conjured up when someone said the words strip club. It was high end, clean, safe, with almost as many bouncers as there were girls and the bar served some of the most expensive alcohol Belle had ever seen.

That made sense though; it was after all the place where all of Rumford Gold’s ill-gotten gains were laundered through. A dingy dive wouldn’t have been a realistic cover for the kind of money he made stealing and trading in the fine art and jewels he was able to pilfer. Belle silently stared out into the crowed as she danced. Her eyes never left her employer/target as he did his business in his personal booth; the sultry look on her face hiding the swirling thoughts plaguing her mind.

There was no concrete proof that Mr. Gold was the Spinning Wheel Thief, nothing that could be used to charge him or even bring him in for questioning. That didn’t stop everyone in the Bureau from knowing it was him. That’s why she was here: to gather evidence so he could finally be brought to justice. It wasn’t easy getting close to him, he was suspicious of everyone. More than a few times people had been sent to flirt with him or offer jobs, but he never took the bait. Even so, he had to employ people to keep his businesses running, and that had been her way in.

What Belle had really wanted to do was go undercover in the small town’s library, or even work in the pawnshop Mr. Gold personally manned. But he didn’t need help in his pawnshop, and he didn’t go in the library enough for it to be a useful cover. So here she was, dancing. It was sheer luck she’d even been hired on. Belle was rather short for the average girl that found herself on stage taking her clothes off. Shorter than her would-be-employer actually and he himself wasn’t a very tall man. During her interview she could tell he was going to refuse; wasting months of work fabricating her backstory and moving her life to the small town of Storybrooke. She hadn’t had to fake the tinge of desperation in her voice when she’d told him she needed this job.

For just a moment his eyes had softened, and Belle had been reminded that Gold had come from nothing as a child. He knew what going to bed without food was like, knew what it meant to be desperate for work. It was all in his file, something she’d read over countless times. It was enough to make her feel bad for him. At the time she’d been grateful his past gave her the chance she needed to get close. Now when she remembered the look in his eyes she could imagine him, a small boy with shaggy brown hair and sorrowful eyes. Alone and unloved and it made her want to give him a hug until all the pain was gone. Then she would remember herself and tamp that sympathy down. That way of thinking led to dangerous ideas.

When she’d told her family she was going to join law enforcement both her parents worried she’d be too compassionate for the job. But Belle considered her compassion a strength, not a weakness. It let her understand the people she was trying to catch and made her good at pretending to be someone she wasn’t.

In this instance she was pretending to be Lacey Avonlea. A down on her luck barfly with a penchant for pool, booze, and all things heavy rock in general. Belle and Lacey didn’t have a lot in common. But she could hold her alcohol, play pool without embarrassing herself and didn’t mind screaming guitar solos so it wasn’t hard being her alter-ego. Or it hadn’t been at first. She’d been working at The Golden Thread for several months now, and the longer she stayed the more Lacey morphed into Belle. It was just small things at first, a book to read in her down time, ordering less free drinks at the bar. None of these things would ruin her cover, but she was beginning to worry that she’d been compromised. Not in the sense that she feared Gold knew what she was up to, but rather she’d gotten too close to the situation and developed feelings that could jeopardize the mission.

The more she got to know Rumford Gold the more she began to feel that they’d pinned the wrong man for the crimes that the Spinning Wheel Thief had committed. It was said the thief was ruthless, getting the job done by any means necessary and never failing. That didn’t at all line up with the man Belle had gotten to know. He was stiff and cold at first to be sure, but he was hiding a soft gentle side that few people had seen.

In her first week of working at The Golden Thread she’d been helping with an odd job before the club opened. The bartender, Ruby, had been trying to set up fine china tea cups for a new kind of drink they’d be serving and she’d needed assistance carrying them from the back. Belle had offered to help since she’d come in early – to bug Gold’s office, but no one needed to know that – and so Ruby had handed her a box. It wasn’t the heaviest thing she’d ever carried and she probably wouldn’t have dropped it, if her employer hadn’t all but snuck up on her. She’d jumped and the box had fallen, a loud shattering sound accompanying her surprised gasp.

Heart sinking, Belle had fallen to her knees, promising Gold she’d work it off, and that most of them where fine. It wasn’t true, they’d all totally shattered, and they both knew it. Except for the one he picked up out of the sharp slivers of porcelain, it having gotten away with merely a chip unlike its unfortunate brethren. He’d waved away her anxious stuttering as if she hadn’t just cost him a fortune and ruined several beautiful sets of china. And possibly destroyed her one shot of getting the information she needed.

“It’s just some cups.” Gold had said. Something tight had released in her chest at his words and she’d smiled, nodding.

That wasn’t the last time he’d been kind, to her and everyone else who worked under him. One night a girl had come in hiding tears. Her cat had died but she needed the money so she’d come in anyway. Belle had watched as Gold offered her his pocket square, speaking softly. Then he’d hand her a rather large roll of bills, insisting she didn’t come back for a week to have time to grieve her pet. She wasn’t sure what came over her, but Belle had walked over to him once the other girl was gone, telling him he wasn’t who she thought he was, and that made her glad. He’d scoffed and said he simply couldn’t have the girl crying all over his costumers, but Belle had seen his cheeks redden.

“You’re a good man, Rumford Gold.” She had whispered in his ear as she impulsively hugged him. That had made him blush harder and it was when Belle decided the Bureau had to be wrong. It wasn’t possible for this sweet and gentle man to be the one they were looking for.

She’d suggested this to her handler but Gaston had sneered at the idea and told her to keep monitoring the target. Belle had been annoyed by his quick dismissal but did as she was told; she didn’t have a choice she had an order to follow. All of this didn’t mean she had to let go of her opinion. She felt like they were wasting time trailing Gold when they could be hunting down the real Spinning Wheel Thief. Belle was determined to find proof that Gold was innocent, and she had come to the conclusion there was only one way to do that. She needed to gain accesses to his study at home. From the bugs she’s put in his work office and in the backroom of his pawnshop she knew that was where he kept all of his important files.

It would be easy to simply break in and take what she wanted, but that was an unsubtle approach that required staking out his home and habits. Something she’d already been doing, which would have cut down the time needed to plan, but she also knew his security system was top of the line. That meant there was a higher risk of getting caught or leaving evidence behind, and Belle didn’t want to chance either of those things. If she had it her way this would be the end of her mission and then she’d be done pretending to be Lacey Avonlea and could go back to being Belle French. At which point she was hoping to come back to town and ask a certain landlord on a date. That would only be complicated if he caught her breaking into his home before she could explain herself. She needed a different way to get into the house.

The easiest way would be for him to invite her home, but she couldn’t imagine he’d be inclined to ask her to tea anytime soon. It needed to be another way. There was an idea she kept coming back to. One that involved a bedroom and mood lighting, one that seemed the least practical, but also the one she wanted most as her solution. She liked Gold, far more then she’d like a guy in a long time, and she thought sometimes he liked her back. It was in the way he listened to her talk, really listened, and how he could tell she was having a bad day just by looking at her. So sleeping with him seemed like the most logical solution. She’d be killing two birds with one stone really; getting to be with the guy she liked and proving he was innocent.

Belle was brought out of her musings when she noticed that Gold was shaking the hand of the man he had been doing business with. The person, George King, if her information was good, stood and hurried from the club as soon as his hand was free, leaving Gold alone. It was time to put her plan into action.

Smiling she walked to the edge of the stage, a few wolf-whistles sounding from the crowed as she stepped down two small steps and began walking among the tables. She played her part and leaned over a table or two to lavish a small amount of attention on a random man before moving on. She didn’t bother to terry like she would have any other night for her cover. Tonight she had one goal in mind, her eyes fixed on her target. Mr. Gold quirked a single eyebrow as she reached him and slid herself onto his table to give him a show.

“I’m afraid your attentions are wasted on me, dearest.” He smirked. “I tend not to tip very well.”

“What if I’m after something else?” She replied, biting her lower lip suggestively and giving him a heated look.

Gold swallowed, his hand twirling the cane between his legs. “And what might that be?” He replied, his voice hoarse, his eyes dipping to her chest and then quickly returning to her face.

Hiding a smile she moved closer, noting that no one was looking at them now that several more girls where on the stage and walking around the floor. When she’d first started working for Gold he hadn’t looked at her like she’d expected. She had assumed he’d leer and make suggestive comments. But he was respectful, his eyes trained on hers even when she was bare except for her strappy heels. Like everything else about him that had taken Belle by surprise, Gold was a mystery, one she’d very much like to unwrap, in more ways than one. It was gratifying to know he wasn’t totally cold to her charms as she had worried.

“You.” Belle whispered, leaning in so her words were a warm puff of breath of air against his ear.

He made a strangled noise and then stood quickly; tipping her over so she fell back onto the table she had been kneeling on. She watched him stride away without another word, moving much faster than any man with a cane had a right to. Belle blinked as she watched him go in shock and then scrambled off the table to follow him. She was aware that she must not look very sensual in that moment but she didn’t really care about that. She was more interested in following Gold and finding out where she’d gone wrong. His silent rejection stung, she thought he felt the pull she had been feeling over the last few weeks. They’d spent more than one of her breaks getting lost in conversations about anything and everything. Some of her favourite times in the recent months had been the two of them arguing about literature.

She opened the door of his office and stormed in, closing the door with a loud bang.

“I don’t sleep with my employees.” He said before she could speak, his shoulders hunched as he faced away from her.

“Then I quit.” Belle countered.

Gold turned to face her, a look of surprise on his face before he carefully masked his emotions. “Why would you do that?” He asked breathlessly.

“I like you, Mr. Gold; and I’m not going to be here for very much longer.” She told him; neither were a lie, although both were only a half truth. Belle shrugged. “Since that’s the case I thought I’d try my luck at spending a night in your bed.”

“It’s really that simple for you, is it?” Gold laughed humourlessly. “You’re leaving so why not fuck the boss?”

“Wouldn’t be the first time.” She lied smoothly. That was the kind of person Lacey was, and her mask made it easier for Belle to stay calm, whereas inside she was squirming with the awkwardness of her failed attempt at seduction.

Gold grimaced as his thumb and forefinger rubbed together. Belle had noticed that before, it was a habit he had when unsettled or thinking deeply, she wondered which one it was this time. As they stood in the silent room she shivered, realizing she hadn’t grabbed her top before running after him. She wrapped her arms around herself; if he didn’t want her when she was half nude he’d never want her. Sighing she turned to walk away. That was more than disappointing, and would make the few days she had to stick around before breaking into his house more than awkward. But Gold was a gentleman; he wouldn’t do anything to make her feel bad about this. She could repay him by getting the Bureau off his back and on the trail of the real thief.

“Wait,” He called, his voice soft.

Turning to face him she was surprised to realize he’d walked closer than he had been when she turned away. He slid his jacket off and wrapped it around her shoulders, effectively covering her nakedness as well as warming her up. She smiled and wrapped the woollen suit jacket closer around herself.

“Thanks.” She said, he might not want her, but he was still thinking about her comfort. Her heart throbbed uncomfortably, knowing that he was so disinterested when she was so enthralled. 

“Are you really leaving?” Gold murmured.

“Yeah, probably in a week, maybe more, maybe less.” Belle replied with another shrug. Her traitorous heart skipped a beat when he cupped her jaw.

“If you knew me, you wouldn’t want me, but gods forgive me, I want you.” He whispered as he leaned in. “I’m a monster, Lacey.” Gold warned.

“You’re not a monster.” She murmured, her eyes slipping closed as she leaned up to steal the kiss she’d been aching for. “I do know you and I want you.” She promised as her lips met his.

Groaning Gold pushed her against the wall as she wrapped her arms around his neck, the jacket falling away. His tongue flicked against her mouth, begging for entrance and she gladly gave it to him, moaning as their kiss deepened. She pressed closer to him so there wasn’t a sliver of daylight between them as his hands roamed her back. Belle began to undo his tie, her lust addled brain deciding that he was far too dressed compared to her. When she’d gotten it undone Belle began to work on his shirt, getting three buttons open before he distracted her by beginning to kiss along her neck.

“I’ve been trying so hard not to look at you, sweetheart.” He rasped in her ear, one of his hands stroking along her bare side. “You’re so beautiful, inside and out, I’ve never met anyone as stunning. It’s like you glow, you’re light, Lacey, pure light.”

“Rum.” Belle whimpered, one of her legs moving to wrap around his hip to pull him even closer.

“Yes,” He gasped. “Say my name, Lacey, please! I’ve been dreaming of hearing you call me that.” Rum panted in her ear as their lower halves moved together.

“Call me Belle.” She moaned, and then when she realized her mistake she hastily added, “It’s my middle name, I prefer it.” He nodded and kissed her again.

“Belle,” Rum gasped. “Beautiful Belle, brilliant Belle.” Between kisses he groaned her name as she whispered his.

As they continued on like this Belle got more of his shirt undone and explored the delectable skin she had revealed. Her original plan had been to seduce him and convince him to take her home, but with his hands on her body and his lips on her neck she was having trouble seeing why it would be better to move. They were both comfortable right where they were, more than comfortable. She could feel him through his pants, hot and hard as he thrust against her core and she was more than eager to get rid of any barriers between them. Moving her hand to unzip his fly she let out a grunt of frustration when he stopped her.

“What’s wrong?” Belle panted breathlessly, her face flush and her lips swollen from their kisses.

“Nothing, I just… I want to take you home, you deserve a bed, and roses and chocolate strawberries with champagne, but for now I have a bed with silk sheets I’d love to see you in.”

Licking her lips Belle looked at him from under her lashes. “We can take our time in a bed.” She replied.

“Yes we can.” He groaned, swooping in and stealing a heated kiss before breaking away from her. “Come home with me.” Rum begged, his eyes soft and vulnerable. As if he still doubted she might want him even after all the kissing and groping they’d just done.

She took his hand and stepped back into his arms. “Gladly.” Belle purred.

They got a few odd looks as they left together before closing, but as Rum was the boss no one stopped them. Although when Ruby saw them walk by with their arms linked her eyebrows had lifted to her hairline. Belle smiled and winked, leaving Ruby to raise a confused thumbs-up towards her. Her friend’s misgivings did nothing to dampen her mood and she happily sat in Rum’s big black Cadillac, her hand resting on his thigh while he drove them to his home.

Belle had seen the outside of Rum’s pink house more than once, both before she’d started pretending to be Lacey and after she started working for him. She’d been curious about what it would look like inside. What kind of things did a man like Rumford Gold decorate his large pink house with? Despite her curiosity she barely took in any of the furnishing as they desperately kissed in his foyer, her hands raking through his long silky hair as his hands found their way under the shirt she’d put on.

Somehow they made it up the stairs as they stripped; one of them stopping to press the other against the wall for another heated kiss before they were reluctantly parting to move closer to their goal and remove more clothes. Belle had been partially, or almost fully, naked in front of Rum several times, but the way he looked at her now was completely different then he had those times. His eyes were soft and even loving whereas before they had been guarded and wary. His eyes lingered on her face as they always had, but now they traveled lower, appreciation in his gaze, but not the kind she’d seen in the other men’s eyes at the strip club. Now that they were standing in his bedroom beside his large bed his eyes were roving over her in awe and adoration, like she was a feast and he was a starving man. Maybe it was because now he knew he could look at her without feeling guilty, now he knew she wanted him to look at her.

Reaching out he pulled her back to him, kissing her again with a smile against her lips. Letting out a hum of pleasure Belle began to run her hands along his bare chest, enjoying the feeling of his warm skin against hers. She circled one of his nipples with the tip of her fingers before she pinched it and he let out a growl and nipped her lower lip in retaliation. Giggling she kissed him again as they moved towards his bed. Their tongues were twined together in a deep kiss that was only broken because the back of her legs hit the side of his bed and they ended up falling over.

“Oops.” Belle said a little giddily, wriggling under him. “Well, that’s one way to get in bed.”

“A much more pleasant way; especially given the company.” Rum purred throatily, kissing along her neck.

Sighing she arched her neck to give him better access, her legs spreading to cradle his hips between her thighs. Belle ran her hands along his bare back as his chest rubbed against her sensitive breasts, making her moan and rub against him more. He still had his pants on and she was still in her short skirt, which she moved to remedy as he lips pressed to hers again in a searing kiss. She fumbled with his belt as he tongue distracted her, but finally the long strip of leather came free and she threw it aside as best she could while lying under him. As she undid his fly one of his hands moved between her legs slipping under her skirt and rubbing her through the thin fabric of her underwear. Belle gasped against his mouth and she felt him smirk as he moved the crotch of her panties aside to find the hard pearl of her pleasure.

Biting her lower lip she whimpered as he rubbed her with his thumb, his middle finger circling her entrance and then slowly pushing in. All of his movements were agonizingly slow, driving her out of her mind as he sucked on her earlobe and fucked her with his hand. She felt him press another finger into her, causing her hips to buck up as she lets out a wordless moan. His free hand moved to massage her breast, first one and then the other, his hands large and hot as they palmed her and pinched her nipples. The sting made everything he was doing between her legs all the better. His mouth trailed down her neck and collarbone to join his hand, lavishing heated kisses along her soft skin. He nipped and sucked the underside of her breasts and she let out a strangled cry, making him groan against her chest.

Her nails bit into his shoulders as he began to quicken his pace. Moaning she rolled her hips to meet his hand thrust for thrust as he moved back up to kiss her. Gasping and panting in his ear she felt herself getting closer to the edge of bliss as he muttered words of praise and reverence to her. Rum kissed her jaw and curled his fingers at the same time, finding a spot that had her seeing stars. As he did so Belle stiffened in his arms, letting out a sharp breathless cry, shaking as she came.

Breathing heavily Belle closed her eyes sinking into the soft pillow-like bed beneath her. She hummed and ran a lazy hand through his hair as her heartbeat returned to normal and her breathing slowed. Smiling at him she pulled him down for a soft kiss, rubbing her nose against his as they pulled away. Together they got rid of her skirt and underwear, the clothes cumbersome and annoying now that they wanted nothing between them. Even so when Belle moved to divest him of his pants he hesitated, his cheeks stained red.

“What’s wrong?” She asked him, running her hand along his chest reassuringly.

“I-I’m just…” He trailed off and shrugged, his eyes filled with shyness. “You’re just so beautiful, and I’m well, old.” Rum finished, gesturing to his thin chest and graying temples. “I’m not much of a pretty sight with my shirt off, let alone my pants.”

Belle cupped his jaw and pulled him in for a kiss. “I think you’re rather handsome.” She told him. “So far I’ve rather enjoyed everything I’ve seen, and I’m sure I’ll also very much enjoy getting acquainted with the hard thing poking my thigh.” She smiled suggestively and moved her leg to rub his hard cock.

Groaning, Rum sat up on his knees quickly undoing his button and fly and pulling both his pants and boxers down in one swift movement before laying back down on top of her while kicking his pants away. Belle hummed and kissed him as he settled on top of her, both of them finally bare. He was hot and hard, laying against her belly as they traded sipping kisses and let their hands roam, soaking up the feeling of the other naked in bed. Her hand roamed down his chest, stopping to teasingly scratch his nipple before moving to follow the trail of hair along his slightly soft stomach. He grunted when she grasped him in her hand, stroking along his thick shaft and letting out a satisfied coo.

“I hope I meet expectations.” He said, a bit breathless form her attentions.

“I’d say they’re met and surpassed.” She replied with a lascivious smirk. Licking her lips she spread her thighs. “But I think a thorough examination is in order, don’t you think, Mr. Gold?” Belle added.

Rum nodded eagerly. “Yes, of course, Miss Avonlea, I’d hate for us to be anything but thorough.”

They both groaned when she guided him between her legs, their lips so close they were sharing a breath as she opened herself for him, feeling the head of his cock breach her. She let go of him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he began to push further into her, a whimper escaping his lips. He felt amazing as he stretched her, hot and thick in all the best ways, filling her completely and brushing the stop he’d previously found with his fingers. Belle let out a moan as he gripped her thigh and pulled her leg up so it wrapped around his hip, causing him to sink even deeper into her.

“Oh, you feel so good.” She said breathlessly as they stayed still for a moment, their foreheads pressed together.

“You’re so wet and hot, Belle.” He gasped back, his eyes squeezed closed in concentration. “Fuck, I’m not gonna last.” Rum added, his accent thickening, making her inner walls clench in desire.

He swore and kissed her hungrily with little finesse. Their hips began to move as they found a desperate pace. The time for teasing and taking their time was over as they raced along; causing the large and sturdy bed they were in to rock with their movements. It felt as if his hands and mouth were everywhere as she wrapped both her legs around his hips, her nails scratching down his back. His hands settled on her hips, squeezing so hard she knew there would be bruises, but the idea of it thrilled her. He was all but pounding into her, forcing pleased cries form between her lips with every hard thrust. She could tell he was close, his cock growing harder and hotter inside of her, as he lost his rhythm, but so was she.

Belle tangled her hand in his long silky hair and pulled him down for a hard kiss; her other hand moving between them to rub at the bud above where they were joined. Her fingers slipped in her wetness and she brushed the base of his cock with every thrust. Both of them moaned and he moved to suck one of her nipples into his mouth, causing her to arch her back and scream in pleasure as light exploded behind her eyes. He wrapped his arms around her as she trembled with aftershocks of pleasure as he thrust twice more before snarling her name and biting her shoulder. She felt a hot rush as he stilled above her and groaned, kissing the spot he’d bitten.

Sweaty and sated he rolled them to their sides, his arms still around her as they traded messy, sleepy kisses. He ran his hand along her back and she sighed, closing her eyes and pillowing her head on his chest, drawing random patterns along his abdomen. Their legs where tangled together and Belle felt as if she could close her eyes and sleep for a week. She listened to his heartbeat, allowing the rhythmic sound to lull her into a doze. Still, something was nagging at her, keeping her from curling up and sleeping in the arms of the man she loved. Her eyes popped open when she remembered the mission she’d been sent on. The exhilaration of finding out that Rum wanted her back, followed by the amazing sex had almost made her forget that she still needed to prove he was innocent.

Looking up at him she smiled when she found he was already asleep, his face peaceful and relaxed. It made him look years younger, and Belle hoped she got to see a lot more of him like this in the future. Untangling herself from his arms she went to the bathroom to clean up, and then donned her discarded panties and his dress shirt. Belle breathed in his scent, her smile growing; then she shook her head and grabbed her mini flashlight. She’d go and explore his study then once that was done and she had the evidence she needed to prove Rumford Gold wasn’t the Spinning Wheel Thief she’d climb back into bed with him. Maybe even wake him up for another round.

Quietly she made her way downstairs, able to appreciate Rum’s taste in décor now that his tongue wasn’t in her mouth. His home was a veritable museum of antiques and knickknacks, all more fascinating than the last. Perhaps when she came back he’d give her a tour. Belle knew he’d probably be mad at her for lying, but after what they’d just shared she hoped he’d be willing to forgive her. Shaking her head she moved past his living room and into his study, she was a professional, and it was time she started acting like it again. She could be love sick some other time.

The study was dark as she slipped into it, but she didn’t bother turning a light on, knowing that might draw suspicion from Rum’s neighbours. Instead she flicked on the flashlight and kept it pointed at the ground. More than one agent had been caught waving the beam of light around haphazard in the dark and drawing unwanted attention. No one could know she’d been here, and it was easy to let her training take over.

Silently she rifled through his papers and contracts, feeling vindicated when she only found legitimate and legal projects. At the same time she knew if he was the criminal mastermind everyone believed him to be he wouldn’t simply leaving things laying out for curious eyes to find. It was quick work to find his wall safe and with a bit of trial and error she was able to crack the combination. Everything in there was also completely innocent and she smiled, her heart fluttering when she realized the chipped tea cup was in there as well, kept safe and sound from further harm. She’d seen him drink from it a few times after she’d broken it, but hadn’t realized he’d kept it for so long. The sight of it made her sure he felt the same as she did.

Belle closed the safe, ready to go back to bed to wake up her lover for another round, when something on the desk caught her eye. She knew what it looked like when a drawer had a false bottom and the top left drawer clearly had one. They weren’t exactly the stealthiest of hiding places, since most people knew to look for them after their popularity in movies, so Belle was sure she’d find nothing exciting in Rum’s. Still, she had to look; even if it was just to confirm he kept a glass and some brandy in his desk, or maybe some sensitive documents for a deal. She smiled to herself wondering what could be in there.

Sliding the drawer open she felt around until she found the catch that opened the panel, sliding it up and reaching in. Her hand hit something cool and hard and she frowned. Grasping it she pulled it from its hiding place, shining her light on it. Belle’s heart sank as she looked at the gaudy diamond necklace in her hand. It was an exact copy of the priceless heirloom the Spinning Wheel Thief had last taken.

One hundred and twelve perfectly cut diamonds sparkled back at her mockingly as she stood in the darkened study. She’d been wrong, terribly, terribly wrong about the man she’d just slept with. He was the monster everyone had warned her he was, he’d stolen and cheated and even caused several deaths from his schemes and she’d been completely fooled by his innocent ruse, so much so that she’d decided that sleeping with him was a good idea. Belle felt cold as she kept looking at the thing. She’d been falling in love with him, and it was all a lie.

There were two clicks from the door way, taking her by surprise. She turned around her, her eyes blinking rapidly as light flooded the room. When she could see she froze. Gold stood in the doorway, a cocked gun in his hand. He was wearing a robe, covering most of him, but showing off a tantalizing triangle of skin, his hair still mussed from their love making.

“I really wish you hadn’t found that, Agent French.” Gold said dangerously.


End file.
